FORMER child actor Jeffrey Louis Starr has died at the age of 61.

The actor who appeared in two of the sequels of the classic baseball movie Bad News Bears reportedly passed away after dealing with a brutal illness.

The late actor Starr died inside a hospital in Carbondale, Illinois , TMZ reported on Saturday.

He passed away last month with his family by his side, the outlet added.

Starr had been battling a serious illness leading up to his death, family sources told TMZ.

Starr's brother, Kevin , shared a tribute post on Facebook on July 26, just one day after his death, mentioning that he was "sick for several years.

"The world got a little darker yesterday with the passing of my Best Friend and Brother," he wrote.

"Jeff lived an amazing life and shared his life wit

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